2d and 3d compositing

as the project that we are dooing is going to feature a combination of 2d elements and placed on 3d, i thought some other existing examples of this highly styalised look would be good to research.

toon boom

I have just been experimenting with animating a bag in 2d, yes 2d! not 3d! It is difficult but, 2 dimensions is considerably easier. I have been working on some 3d work, so all is not lost, i have just been having a change working on some 2d, so here is an example of how it looks, more detail is to be added later. cio.

Our overall idea so far

Well over the past week, me and Kirill have been discussing various different story ideas, a few of my ideas, an idea of mine which began as Kirill's idea, and a few more of his. We have decided to go with a newer version of his original idea, which has been elaborated much more, has been fleshed out and re-designed. As Anna suggested, it is best to come up with one idea and really make it a good one, so then we are waisting no time at all. Our main story idea features a lot of comic gags which are all caused by this plastic bag, which has been thrown away by a man working at a recycling factory, which is of course ironic, but i suppose there is an overall moral in this story/ narrative, which is really interesting and has inspired me to do this film. So now you know the plot, the look of it is going to determine whole viewing satisfaction. The entire look is very symbolic and are all simple signs, for example the main character is a man from the male toilet sign, and he is featured in certain recycling symbols as well. The character is going to be virtually made of cardboard.

concept sketch

a concept sketch for the ultimate molten plastic explosion idea.

small discussion with Jason

Me and kirill talked to Jason about the idea of the environment for a subject for our short film that we want to make. Kirill's idea of plastic bags in trees, were mostly talked about the main idea of multiple comical gags. Also we talked about how they could be dark and sinister, still with comic value. From this small discussion, me and kirill have talked and have a few thoughts about it. I have been fleshing out other ideas about the short film, meanwhile, but i am very keen on the comic value of the potential of this animated film. For the bags idea, a favorite idea, goes as follows;
-A worker is in a recycling factory and has just stopped for a quick break. He reaches down to his pocket and digs deep and rustles around and then slowly pulls out a plastic wrapped branded chocolate bar.
-As his hands bring the chocolate bar into his vision, he the carefully unwraps it, and folds the wrapper neatly and then unexpectedly throws it over his shoulder, sending it flying and fluttering into space.
-The camera would now follow the fluttering plastic wrapper, it would slowly flow and land in a small opening of big industrial size paper guillotine. The wrapper lands and gets jammed in a set of sprockets, the plastic prevents the cogs from spinning around, so the guillotine jerks to a halt.
Camera cuts to outside of machine and sees the conveyor belt continuing to move and is still feeding paper, though there is no gap under the big blade, because it is jammed shut, so the paper is forcefully pushed up againt the blade and is folding and crumpling, a huge tower of recycled cardboard is towering higher and higher.
-The camera then is focused on the other side of the guillotine and zooms into the mess of huge sheets of clear plastic, which are getting bigger and bigger, as there is no card to be packaged, so it packs itself.
-Now there is a huge ball of plastic, and it rolls of the conveyor belt and lands into a fiery furnace, where it expands into a semi molten plastic fire ball. It then rolls all over the factory and destroys almost everything, as it rolls it pulls things into it and gets bigger and bigger until it finally explodes, molten plastic shrapnel is scene flying at high speed all over the place.
-Next the scene fades in to a room coverd in a whitey-grey layer of plastic. The camera does a full circle of the room and then stops at an unusual plastic lump, the camera moves upwards, more of this unusual plastic lump is revealed, then an opening of some flesh, then a chin, then a nose and then fianlly a full face with molten plastic in his hair. It is the same worker who tossed his sweet wrapper and has half of the chocolate sticking out of his mouth.

thats just one gag, starts small - ends huge etc.

Garys fall

A very humorous short animation about some scouse polar bears, its very very funny, has a very simple and ingenious script. I had to watch it a couple of times, i lauphed that hard!

Gary's Fall
Uploaded by Killstain

more research

I have found some more nice examples of short films, which i really liked and are possibly the kind of thing that i would like to have a go at.